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Parental Leave

Parental Leave at Hackensack Meridian Health is covered by two categories: Maternity Leave and Baby Bonding. Eligibility for benefits during the leave, length of leave, and other conditions depend upon the circumstances of the leave and other qualifying factors. Please see our Leaves of Absence policy on PolicyStat for a full list of leaves available and corresponding eligibility requirements. Hackensack Meridian Health team members are eligible to take leave for their own health condition under federal and state law.

In most cases, team members must have completed at least one year of service with Hackensack Meridian Health, generally worked at least 1,250 hours during the preceding 12-month period, and declared intent to return to work after the leave. Team members are eligible for up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave during a 12- to 24-month period, depending on the interaction between state and federal law and the team member’s individual circumstances.

IMPORTANT: Leaves of absence related to maternity leave are covered under two separate plans: Personal Disability and Baby Bonding Time. Technically, “maternity leave” doesn’t exist as a policy. By combining a Personal Disability leave with Baby Bonding Time, team members can create their own “maternity leave.” Personal Disability leave is paid by The Hartford and HMH (depending on eligibility and available time), while Baby Bonding Time follows the same process as a Family Member Disability and is paid by NJFLI and HMH (depending on eligibility and available time). Please review all steps closely to make sure you’re getting the coverage you need.

Hackensack Meridian Health team members are eligible to take leave to care for a family member under federal and state law. Baby Bonding Time includes time for a team member to bond with a newborn, newly adopted or newly placed foster child (e.g., for the purposes of “maternity leave” or “paternity leave”). In most cases, team members must have completed at least one year of service with Hackensack Meridian Health, worked at least 1,000 hours during the preceding 12-month period, and declared intent to return to work after the leave.

Team members are eligible for up to 12 weeks of continuous unpaid leave during a 12- to 24-month period, depending on the interaction between state and federal law and the team member’s individual circumstances.

Resources: 

First, follow the steps to request leave for a personal disability:

1. Notify your leader of your intent to take a leave.

2. Call My Sedgwick at 1-866-901-0257 or log in/create an account at My Sedgwick to submit your request for a leave. You must call 30 days in advance of the leave, if possible.

3. Provide proper documentation to My Sedgwick within 15 business days of the leave request. If documentation is not provided within 15 days, the leave may be denied. Be prepared to supply the following information:

  • Name, last four digits of your social security number, date of birth, date last worked and date of hire
  • Physician’s name, phone number and fax number
  • Leader’s name and phone number Description of your occupation Preferred method of communication while on leave My Sedgwick will let you know if the request has been approved or denied within five business days, after receiving all necessary documentation. This decision will be based on your hours, length of service and remaining leave time available. If you do not meet the eligibility requirements for an FMLA personal leave of absence or need an at-work accommodation, the same process outlined above should be followed. My Sedgwick will refer your accommodation request to the LOA Accommodations team who will follow up accordingly.

Leave of Absence - My Sedgwick (effective 1/1/24)


Leave of Absence - Team Member Service Center 

    • 1-551-996-2877
    • Open an HR inquiry via the Team Member Service Center tile in MyWay.

Filing for Compensation for Family Leave - (for family leave and baby bonding)

Resources:


I am on an approved leave for a Personal Disability. How will I be paid?

Timeline For Pay:

Earned Sick Leave - see image below for reference

ESL Carry Over Balance (first until exhausted)

then go to...

ESL Current Balance (until exhausted)

then go to...

ESL Historic  Sick Bank/HIB

Note: The above items are 100% pay from HMH. When exhausted go to...

Earned Sick Leave

 

Short Term Disability (STD) + Paid Time Off (PTO)  - see image below for reference

The Hartford (Short Term Disability) 85% of pay up to $1,055 *** per week - not to exceed 26 weeks

Plus (+)

The Wrap : For Wrap eligibility: Team members who are benefit eligible and have 2/3 of pay over $1,055 each week. Difference between $1,055 cap and 2/3 of pay from HMH.

Plus (+)

PTO* True Balance: This cannot go below 80 hours. If the PTO true balance is exhausted the team member will go to PTO Draw Down Bank. (Pay from HMH to 100% of base weekly wages.)

Note: The above pay is from My Sedgwick and HMH.

Short Term Disability

 

Long Term Disability (LTD) - see image below for reference

After 180 days **, LTD will take affect if the team member meets eligibility requirements. Duration of LTD payments depend on age according to summary plan descriptions.

Note: 50% pay from My Sedgwick ****

Long Term Disability

 

* When available, PTO time will draw from the FT Status Bank first, followed by True Balance and Drawdown.
**The STD benefit will be paid for a full 26 weeks, regardless of how much ESL time you have to use. Once the STD benefit ends, the LTD benefit will then be paid. There is no action required on
the part of the team member for the transition from short term to long term disability. Please see summary plan description for details.
***$1,055 is the current New Jersey cap and subject to change on a yearly basis.
****Medical certification is required. There is a six-month elimination period; payments will begin once qualified by My Sedgwick. Benefit is 50% of pay, not to exceed $5,000 per month.
Remember, team members have the option to do an LTD buy-up (in other words, to purchase a greater level of LTD coverage) once a year during Open Enrollment. Does not apply to directors and above on the untracked PTO program.

 

Updating Your Benefits - Birth is a Qualifying Life Event.  In order to obtain coverage for your child, you must enroll the child within 31 days of the child’s birth.  

  • To expedite your newborn's benefit enrollment  please utilize your social security number until you have received your baby's social security number to provide to benefits team. 
  • To add a newborn please visit MyWay 
    • Go To My Benefits 
    • On The Left Click "Submit a Qualifying Life Event
    • Read the instructions and check "Birth, Adoption and Legal Guardianship"
    • Please remember to update the following benefits in MyWay
      • All Benefits (including voluntary benefits)
      • Beneficiary Updates
    • To update your beneficiaries in your retirement benefits plan  http://tiaa.org/HMH
       

It is very important to follow these steps when returning to work to avoid delays in your pay and system access. 

1. Call My Sedgwick at 1-866-901-0257 or log in/create an account at My Sedgwick to report your return to work date.

2. Call your leader to coordinate your return to work.

You will continue to accrue Paid Time Off (PTO), Earned Sick Leave (ESL) and Holiday time if you are in a benefit-eligible status for 30 days. After 30 days, your accruals will stop and will resume when you return from your LOA.

If you need to change leave dates, you should first notify your leader and then My Sedgwick.

As long as you are receiving a paycheck from HMH, your medical deductions will be taken out of your paycheck. Once you are no longer receiving a paycheck from HMH, you will be billed for your medical deductions directly by Baker Tilly. If you are on unpaid leave and you have not been billed for your medical deductions, please contact Baker Tilly at  1-800-307-0230.
No, My Sedgwick does not handle the payment portion for the NJ Family Leave. You must go online to The State of New Jersey website to complete the NJ FL-1 application.
Yes, as long as you are on an approved leave and go through the proper channels, you are permitted to apply for any available positions within HMH.
Because HMH’s PTO policy is more generous than and exceeds what is required by law – allowing team members to accrue more hours than required – it is HMH’s policy, under certain circumstances, for team members to draw from their PTO balance, if available, before drawing from their ESL bank. NJ state law protects team members’ ability to take time off under certain circumstances, without penalty. It does not, however, necessarily require the employer to designate that time as “ESL time.” The employer is not required to provide additional time designated for earned sick leave if PTO days may be used for earned sick leave and the employer’s PTO policy meets all requirements of the law.
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